Still Thinking About Flowers

I wish I could see past my thinking that annuals are a waste of money, because I really like a lot of them.

I love Dusty Miller. And how cute is it with these petite flowers at the local garden center?

I did buy some Asparagus Fern though, which is an annual here. I had some last year by the front door and it grew like crazy even when I was less than attentive to it.

The only thing Brandon and I have done outside is prepare the ground. I also planted an anemone in a pot, and it’s doing really well! Now, this is where I can trick you and show you how pretty my garden is…

But it really looks like this:

The cinder block is my favorite. So pretty.

I planted the Asparagus Fern in some hanging pots from IKEA.

They look nice on the porch, but everything still looks so dead around here. Come on spring!

Justine is right – the smaller flowers can be perennial (they also come in annual and biennial flavors). They are called Dianthus but go by the common names Sweet William, Pinks, and Carnations (which are different types of Dianthus). I’m zone 4, nearly three and they do well (I grow Pinks).

I do mostly perenials, too… but a lot of annuals seed really well! The only one I buy in plant form are pansies… I plant them in the fall and have fall and spring (and sometiems even winter) pansies before it gets too hot again.

Haha! The cinder block is a nice touch. I know the feeling though…my backyard is less than appealing with huge bare spots all over and no grass growing – we are going to finally focus on getting grass seed to grow there this year! Sheesh! I can’t get past annuals either – so pretty but they are just going to die and not come back – arg. But I often give in for few when they go on sale.

Just wanted to let you know with the asparagus fern that it is actually a weed. If it gets planted into the ground (it goes back to its prehistoric form..)and they call it wild asparagus.. you will never EVER get rid of it, not even common poisons will kill it. I’m sorry but not a very good choice.( I have had a terrible time with it..and in the new back fence…grrr, anyway…best of luck with everything else, i know it will look fantastic when you finish it.

I’m just like you …I really feel many annuals are a waste of money, but then again, they are pretty… so every year I grow a few plants from seeds, and also when the urge get too strong I’ll buy a few from our local garden center.
Dusty Miller is beautiful, the silvery grey color is so gorgeous! I’m really looking forward to follow the progress of your garden :-)

Eve

April 21, 2008 at 3:17 am

Hi! I just found your blog, and I think it’s beautiful! I will try not to rave and gush about your blog, but I feel like I can stay on it forever! It’s really, really easy on the eyes and so fun to browse! (I feel like I’m in a store, all excited). Also, I really respect how you are a designer in all senses – how you do it all! (I’m not a designer, just moderately artsy. I love colors, for example, and I love clothes..but for some reason as much as I try to, I just am not enjoying myself when I sew! I get all crunched up and stressed…anyway!)

I always thought Dusty Miller was an annual – until one year I didn’t pull it from the garden in the fall. It’s been coming back for 3 years straight now! (one of the few times it’s paid off to be lazy with our fall clean up :-) )

Amanda

April 21, 2008 at 7:43 am

Hey, now that you’ve got the ground ready, maybe try planting annuals from seed? Seeds are pretty cheap, and there are a lot of pretty ones that are easy to direct-sow (you just drop them in the dirt, instead of nurturing along the little sprouts in pots and then transplanting them). The ones I’ve tried that have been ridonculously easy are cosmos and zinnias (liked the zinnias the best! they looked like dahlias) and nasturtiums. I think it might have been too hot here for the nasturtiums, maybe you’d have better luck in your area.

“My” yard (really my landlord’s) is rapidly turning into a prairie at the moment. The daffodils and grape hyacinths I planted look great, but the 10″ tall weeds growing in the lawn leave a bit to be desired. I hope they mow soon! If you’re looking for early color, plant bulbs this fall. They are one of the first things to pop up and bloom in the spring.

Ryan

April 21, 2008 at 12:14 pm

I’m new to the gardening concept too but I err on the side of the perennial. Spending not only the money on annuals, but the time to plant them every year is not in my “plan.” But I splurge on some pretty seed packets and if/when they come up I get really excited. I think I might set myself a $20-30 annual budget to get a few pretty perimeter annuals of things that don’t grow from seed. My yard looks dead still (It snowed again today) and even the tulips are still waiting to bloom.

Lambs ear is also a perennial that has that furry grey look (but with smooth edges) and will grow well in the north and can take over if you don’t contain it but that also means it will fill in quickly.

I understand how you feel about annuals. But let me make a case for them. Perennials typically only bloom once all season. So you have to plan the garden carefully to make sure that something is blooming. And it probably won’t really pan out that well until the second season the plants are in the ground.

But annuals bloom over and over again all season. They’re predictable! And especially important if you don’t have much of a garden in place yet.

If you forgo annuals, your garden is going to be an exercise in delayed gratification….trust me, I’m in it.

Laura

April 21, 2008 at 9:55 pm

Hi Nicole:
Gardening is daunting. I started doing it for real last year and we had a killer drought. It’s interesting this spring to see what survived…kind of fun, actually, and yes, there are so many pretty perennials…just drool on over to the White Flower Farm website (and then see what you can find for a more reasonable price locally. Also, research what’s native because they will likely thrive).
Also…some herbs are hardier than you think. I know Chicago winters are tough but it wouldn’t hurt to plant your herbs in a sunny, sheltered spot and then see what survives over the winter. Maybe I’m just being naive about that, though…I’ve only gardened in the South.

Just wondering if your pots have drainage…can’t tell from the photos but so many pretty ones don’t and I question their usefulness. You could probably plant the ferns in small plastic pots to set inside the Ikea pots if the pots don’t have holes.

Careful with thos asparagus ferns. To dogs they must look yummy. My Lucy was always trying to eat mine and then would promptly get sick. I finally got rid of mine. Don’t want the little guy getting sick!

kim

May 2, 2008 at 10:18 am

Just wandered over to your blog (following the trail from someone else’s) and wanted to mention that Asparagus ferns can be wintered quite nicely. I have one that’s been growing 4 years now — I plant it in a big planter outside in the spring, then rescue it for the winter. They’re nearly impossible to kill as houseplants ;) Same with your spike plants (not sure what kind you’ve got pictured there) — they’ll get very large if you keep them for a couple of years!

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